Mumbai, Jun 28 (PTI) The Maharashtra government’s decision to introduce Hindi in schools from Class I is a conspiracy by the BJP-RSS to sideline Marathi and eliminate linguistic diversity enshrined in the Constitution, alleged state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday.
On June 17, the Maharashtra government issued a GR making Hindi the third language, though not mandatory, for students of Classes 1 to 5 in English and Marathi medium schools.
“This is not merely about a language policy. The BJP-RSS agenda is to erase all other languages and impose Hindi hegemony across the nation. But we will not allow Marathi to be throttled. This deceitful design will be defeated. We respect Hindi as a language, but coercion is unacceptable. Marathi is not just our language. It is our identity and way of life,” Sapkal told reporters.
He said the Congress has reached out to prominent literary figures through letters asking them to put up a united front to ensure the state government is forced to revoke the order on Hindi.
Accusing the ruling BJP of duplicity, Sapkal questioned why Hindi is not a compulsory language in neighbouring Gujarat.
“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and (minister) Chandrashekhar Bawankule must speak about these double standards,” he said.
Sapkal said all sections of society must take part in the protest against the Hindi order as it is a “cultural struggle and not just a political battle”.
The opposition parties have accused the ruling BJP of pursuing a hidden agenda through the three-language policy to give precedence to Hindi over regional languages, including Marathi. PTI MR BNM
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